Thakur appeals to Rajnath not to shift army command from Shimla

SHIMLA: Union Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur has appealed to Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh not to shift the headquarters of the Army Training Command (ARTRAC) from Shimla to Meerut in Uttar Pradesh.

In a letter, Thakur said, "The state of Himachal Pradesh has had the honour of being a strategic location for the Indian Army for many years."

"The Army Training Command headquarters has been in Shimla since 1993 and a sudden shift will significantly affect the officers of all ranks, large number of serving personnel, a majority of whom are locals along with an impact on the local business as well as local employment."

BJP leader Thakur, who hails from Himachal Pradesh, said Shimla has provided a conducive environment for the functioning of ARTRAC.

Earlier, Congress MP Anand Sharma had also written to the Defence Minister against the government's proposed shifting of ARTRAC from Shimla.